Gas lift pump for oil wells



Aug. 19, 1952 COLE 2,607,299

GAS LIFT PUMP FOR OIL WELLS Filed April 11, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 To SEPARATOR (-1 7 Q- rutflu he Z6 I 5 FROM cammEsso R Aug. 19, 1952 G. R. COLE 2,607,299

GAS LIFT PUMP FOR OIL. WELLS Filed April 11, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Aug. 19, 1952 V "UNITED STATES ATE T GASLIFT PUMP FOR on. WELLS 1 George R; Cole, Glendale, Calif. I e

Application April 11,1949,SerialNo.86,700.

oiaims. (Cli103260l This invention relates to an improved liquid pump for oil wells.

An object of this invention is to provide a pump structure adapted to be inserted in a well casing for lifting the oil entering thecasing, the pump operating in cycles according to the rate of flow of the oil into the casing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pump structure wherein the gas used to lift the oil will be intimately mixed with the oil whereby the grade of the oil will be improved.

A further object of this invention is toprovide an improved method or process of lifting oil from a well which will operate automatically from pressure at the top of the well. 7

'A further object of this invention is to provide 7 a well pump of this kind which will operate in any depth of well, and with gas pressure existing at the. top of the well, the device will operate continuously in cycles.

A further object of this invention is to provide a gas lift pump having a main or high pressure gas controlling valve, and a secondary or low pressure valve, with the latter functioning after the main valve has been closed, and with pressure existing in the lift chamber, designed to exhaust the liquid from the lift chamber in addition to producing a relatively low pressure therein so that the liquid may freely rise in the intake tube. When the pressure in the lift chamber drops to a predetermined degree, the sec ondary valve will automatically'close and will'remain closed until pressure again rises in the lift chamber after opening of the main valve.

With the above and other objectsin view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction" disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a detail side elevation; partly in longitudinal section, of a gas lifting pump constructed according to an embodiment of this invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the upper portion of the pump on "an enlarged scale and taken on the line 2-'-2 of Figure 3,,

Figure 3 is a sectional'vie'w taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, I I

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan jview, partly in section, showing the manner of securing the top wall to theouter housing, 7 I

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the numera1 I0 designates generally a tubular housing which is adapted to be extended into a well casing and may be of sufficient length so that at least the lower portion thereof will be disposed within the tom of the well.

The housing 10 men-m s a cylindrical fsidei'wall H {and a bottom wall l 2 forindwithan upstanding nipple 13 inth'cnter thereof, within-which an upward-1y or'inwardly opening ball check valve A strainer or screen IS-'eXtends'dOwn ardIy from the bottom wall 12 and is'adapted to screen the liquid entering throughthe'ihtake nipple l3. The housing w incmaes-"atop wai11s which is secured by means of. a plurality of washers ll engageable in recesses l8 formed in the side wall H. The washers l1 are'tightly held in position by means of bolts I!) which are threaded into bosses carried by the cylindrical side wall 2! of an inner housing generallydesignated'as' 22. I

The inner housing 22-includesafbottom wall 23 and'a top wall'2'4 through whic'hthe bolts l9 are adapted to extend, and' a sealing gasket 25 is interposed between the outer top wall l6 and the-wall 24. i A pressure pipe 26 is extended through the two top walls I3 and 24 and is adapted to be connected to'a suitable source of pressure supplys'uch as gas pressure for maintaininga predetermined pressure of gas within the outer pressure chamber 21 whichis formed within'the inner housing22. v

The bottom wall 23 i's'formedwithan outlet port 28 and with a valve seat :29 on which a valve 30 is adapted to engage, being constantly urged toward the seat 29 by means ofa spring 3i The upper end of the spring 3! engages asubstantially triangular plate32which bears atits upper side against a pair of lugs f33 carried by'the inner side of the side wallZl' and'also bears against a lug 34 which isca'rriedby an upwardly tapering body35 which extends from the bottom wall 23 and forms a mixing chamber'iifi.

the upper end of the body 35 and is adapted to be connected to a separator whe'rein the liquid is separated from. the gas. The bottom wallv 23 has engaging thereagainst an intermediate plate 38 which is formed with an Opening 39 aligning with the opening 28.; [The plate'38 is provided centrally thereof with afchamber 40' communicating with the opening 39 through one or more downwardlyinclined passages-4i e The bottom wall 23 is provided witha plurality of openings 42 which communicate chamber 40 with mixing chamber 36; The plate 38 comprises the nozzle carrying or supporting plate and a plurality of nozzles 43 are threaded into the plate 38, projecting upwardly through the chamber 40 and loosely projecting through the openings 42.

A lower plate orbody 44 is. secured to the inter- The valve 39 includes a depending valve'stem 1 which extends through the lower plate 44 and a engages a valve lifting lever 52 which is rockably carried by a pivot 53 extending through a pair of depending ears 54 extending downwardly from the plate 44. The lifting lever 52 is formed with a ring-shaped intermediatev part 55 looselyenaging'about thepipe 41 and the-boss 48. The lifting lever 52 is formed in the lower side thereof with an arcuate seat 56 within which a roller 51 carried by one arm 58 of a bellcrank lever, 59 is adapted to engage. When the roller5l is engaged in the seat or recess 56, lifting lever 52 will be in the valve opening position shown in Figure 2.

The bellcrank 59 is roekably mounted on a pivot fillextending through-a pair of cars 6 la depending from the plate 44 oppositely-from the ears 54. The bellcrank lever 59 is'formed with a pair of 1 longitudinally curved arms 6| which straddle the suction pipe 41, and a roller 62 is mounted'nbetween the ;arms 6! on a pivot 63.

A vertically movable valve operating float 64 is slidably disposed about the suction :pipe 4'! and when the float 64 is in its uppermost position the top wall 65 of the float will engage roller 62 so as to raise the curved arms 6| upwardly and raise arm 58 to substantially a vertical position and thereby upwardly rock valve lifting lever 52 to a valve opening position. v v I e As shown in Figure 2, the arms 6| are formed with downwardly inclined extensions 66-between which the roller 62 is rotatably mounted. The suction pipe;4l, asshown in Figure. l, terminates at a point slightly abovetheintake nipple I3 for the outer housin I9 and a valve releasing lever 6'! is rockably mounted at the lower end portion of the suction pipe 41, being mounted on a pivot 68 and provided with an upwardly extending arm 69 on which a roller 18 is rotatably mounted, c

The lever 61 is connected with lever 59 by means of an elongated rod 'Hwhich has a degree of flexibility and the upper end of rod 67 is mounted on a pin 12 carried by a pair of obtusely disposed arms 13 whichiextend .from, the upper portions of the extensions-68. The rod H extends valve releasing or closing position until lever 59 is positively rocked downward by engagement of float 64 with the releasing lever 6'! In order to provide for exahusting of the liquid in mixing chamber 36 after valve 38 has been moved to closed position, I have provided an auxiliary valve which is adapted to engage when in closed position on a valve seat 16 formed in the intermediate plate 38. The bottom wall 23 is formed with a plurality of passages Tl communicating high pressure chamber 27 with chamber 18 formed in plate 38 above the valve seat upwardly in mixing chamber 36.

4 16. The plate 38 is formed with a lateral passage 19 communicating with valve seat 16 and with a vertical passage 89 which communicates with a similar vertical passage 8| formed in the lower plate 44.

A low pressure nozzle 82 is threaded into the lower plate 44, being inclined upwardly and in- 'wardly for regulating the discharge of gas into chamber 40 after valve 39 has been closed. An

exhaust passage 83 is formed in the plate 44, communicating with the nozzle passage 84 formed in plate 44 so that the gas or fluid pressure in outer housing l8 may be exhausted upwardly into chamber 36 when both valves 30and 15 are in closed position.

Valve "I5 is secured to a flexible diaphragm 85 mounted in a valve housin 86 and diaphragm 85 is constantly urged downwardly by means of a spring 8'! which abuts at its upper end against a springadjusting screw 88 threaded through a perforate wall 89 carried by a cap 99. The cap 98 is threaded through the walls wand 24 and the cap 90 at its upper end communicates. with the atmosphere so that there will always be present atmospheric pressure on the upper side of diaphragm 85.

A pressure chamber 9! is formed in housing 86 below diaphragm 85 and chamber 9| communicates with mixing chamber 36 throu'ghat least one passage 92. The passage 92 will communicate the higher pressure in mixing chamber 36 with chamber 9| so that diaphragm 85 will be flexed upwardly to valve opening position when valve 39 is open.

In the use and operation of this device, the housing I0 is extended downwardly into the Well casing. The extension of the housing into the well casing is of such degree that when the float 64 is in its uppermost position the float will be at substantially the upper level of the liquid such as oil which is disposed within the well. The

liquid entering the housing [0 will open check 38 and this gas pressure will flow upwardly through the openings 42 about the upper ends of nozzles 43. The liquid which is in housing ID will also be in pipe 41 and when the gas passes the upper ends of nozzles 43 a partial vacuum or suction will be created in suction chamber 46 raising valve 49 to open position. The liquid will then pass upwardly through nozzles 43 and this liquid will be mixed with the gas which is rising At the time the gas is entering mixing chamber 36 a high pressure is produced in chamber 36 which moves upwardly and this pressure will be communicated .to diaphragm chamber 9! through passage 92. High pressure in chamber 91 will raise diaphragm 85 upwardly so that auxiliary valve 15 will be moved to an open position.

At the time valve 39 is in open position the opening of valve 15 will have little efiect on the lifting of the liquid. However, when float 64 is lowered by exhausting of liquid in housing I8, and when float 64 strikes valve releasin lever 67,

s valve 33 will be closed. At this time there will remain sufficient pressure in mixing chamber 35 and in diaphragm chamber 9! to hold valve 75 in open position.

Gas will be discharged through jet or nozzle 82 into chamber 40 and this gas passing upwardly through the openings 42 will serve as an exhausting means for exhausting the final liquid which exists in mixing chamber 36. When the pressure in mixing chamber 36 drops to a predetermined degree, spring 81 will move diaphragm 85 downwardly and valve will be moved to a closed position.

It will be understood that valve 15 may remain open for a substantial period after closing of valve 30 during which time float 64 may be again moving upwardly by reason of liquid entering the lower portion of housing [0. When valve 15 is in its closed position the gas in the upper portion of housing In below plate 44 will be exhausted through exhaust port 83, nozzle chamber 84 and pressure chamber 40.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A as lift pump comprising a housing adapted to be disposed in the lower portion of a well, a valved intake in the lower end of said housing, suction means in the upper portion of said housing, and float operated means in said housing correlated with said suction means for rendering the latter operative when said housing is substantially filled with liquid, said float operated means including a spring-pressed valve, a valve opening lever, a bellcrank rockably carried by said housing engagin said lever, and a vertically movable float engageable in the uppermost position thereof with said bellcrank to move said valve to open position, a valve releasing lever rockably disposed in the lower portion of said housing and engageable by said float when the latter is in a lower position, correlated means carried by said lever and said bellcrank for holding said lever in valve opening position when said float moves downwardly, a connection between said releasing lever and said bellcrank to rock the latter to valve closing position at the time said float is in its lower position, and a discharge outlet for said pump.

2. A gas lift pump comprising a housing adapted to be disposed in the lower portion of a well, a high pressure chamber in the upper portion of said housing, a mixing chamber centrally of said high presure chamber, an intermediate pressure chamber communicating with said high pressure and mixing chambers, a suction chamber below said intermediate chamber, a plurality of partition means separating said chambers, suction nozzles communicating said suction chamber with said mixing chamber for vaporizing the fluid admitted to said mixing chamber, a springpressed valve normally cutting off communication between said high and intermediate pressure chambers, means forming a passage connecting said high pressure and mixing chambers, a normally closed second valve in said passage, a second pressure chamber communicating with said mixing chamber, a diaphragm operator secured to said second valve, said means forming the passage extends through the partition means between said high pressure and mixing chambers,

float operated means in said housing engageable with said first valve formoving the latter to open position when said housing is substantially filled with liquid, and a discharge outlet for said pump.

3. A gas lift pump comprising a housing adapted tobe disposed in the lower portion of a well, a high pressure chamber in the upper portion of said housing, a mixing chamber centrally of said high pressure chamber, an intermediate pressure chamber communicating with said high pressure and mixing chambers, a suction chamber below said intermediate chambers, a plurality of partition means separating said chambers, suction nozzles communicating said suction chamber with said mixing chamber for vaporizing the fluid admitted to said mixing chamber, a springpressed valve normally cutting off communication between said high and intermediate pressure chambers, means forming a passage connecting said high pressure and mixing chambers, a normally closed second valve in said passage, a second pressure chamber communicating with said mixing chamber, a diaphragm operator secured to said second valve, said means forming the passage extends through the partition means between said high pressure and mixing chambers, float operated means in said housing engageable with said first valve for moving the latter to open position when said housing is substantially filled with liquid, said float operated means including means for holding said first valve in open position until said housing is substantially emptied of liquid, and a discharge outlet for said pump.

4. A gas lift pump comprising a housing adapted to be disposed in the lower portion of a well, a valved intake in the lower end of said housing, suction means in the upper portion of said housing, a spring-pressed regulating valve for said suction means including a stem projecting below said suction means, a valve operating lever rockably carried by the lower end of said suction means and including a keeper recess in the lower side thereof, a bellcrank rockably carried by said suction means and including a substantially horizontal side and an upwardly projecting side, the

terminal upper end of said latter side being engageable in said keeper when said housing is substantially full, a float in said housing engageable with said bellcrank when said housing is substantially full to thereby rock said bellcrank and lever upwardly to valve opening position, a release lever rockably disposed in the lower portion of said housing, a connection between said bellcrank and said release lever whereby downward rocking of said release lever by said float when said housing is substantially empty will release said first named lever from said bellcrank and thereby effect cutting off of said suction means, and a discharge outlet for said pump.

GEORGE R. COLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 204,725 Gunning June 11, 1878 424,553 Hoffman Apr. 1, 1890' 916,366 Plimpton Mar. 23, 1909 1,069,466 Putnam Aug. 5, 19 3 1,116,48 Pribil Nov. 10, 1914 1,230,972 Woodworth June 26,1917 1,923,883 Pike Aug. 22, 1933 

